Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 103681 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 518(@200wpm)___ 415(@250wpm)___ 346(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103681 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 518(@200wpm)___ 415(@250wpm)___ 346(@300wpm)
“Ah, Makenna, it’s early,” he slurred. They found him in bed, curled up under the quilt. Makenna opened his curtains, and Zac shrunk away from the daylight like he was a vampire. Dragging the covers over his head, he whined something incomprehensible.
“If you don’t get up, you’ll miss breakfast.”
“Grace goes all out,” added Ryan. “There’ll be bacon, eggs, toast, biscuits and gravy—”
Zac shot up in bed and peeked at them out of one eye. “Biscuits and gravy?”
Ryan nodded. “But Marcus is here. He never stops eating, and he loves biscuits and gravy. If you don’t hurry, there’ll be none left.”
It was almost comical when everyone did a double take at the brands on Makenna’s neck and upper arms when they walked into the kitchen ten minutes later. If their shock was anything to go by, Ryan hadn’t been lying when he said he wasn’t usually the possessive type. Zac hadn’t seemed that surprised by the brands; he’d merely smirked.
The Phoenix wolves recovered quickly enough from their shock, greeting Zac warmly and behaving fairly amicably toward Makenna. As they took their seats, no one made any teasing comments about Ryan’s display of possessiveness, although it looked as if Trick was eager to say something. Maybe he was holding back because Zac was present—she wasn’t sure. In any case, it meant that the meal wasn’t the uncomfortable affair she’d expected. Until Greta spoke.
“How could you, Ryan?” The old woman slammed her mug on the table. “What were you thinking, branding a loner? Her I expect this behavior from, considering why her pack banished her. But you . . . I raised you better than this.”
Looking at her blankly, Ryan grunted.
Jaime whispered to Makenna, “What did he say?”
Just as quietly, she replied, “He thinks she has way too much time on her hands.”
Jaime snickered into her coffee mug. “She does.”
“Whispering again?” griped Greta with a sneer.
Makenna nodded. “Try it sometime.” She jumped as Dominic started choking on his toast. Trey seemed to take delight in thumping him on the back. These people were strange.
After breakfast, many of the pack accompanied Makenna, Zac, and Ryan to the parking lot. While they made a fuss of Zac and said their good-byes, Taryn linked her arm through Makenna’s and said, “Walk with me a little.”
Makenna dug her heels in after three steps. “Um, I’d rather not.”
Taryn laughed. “I sure do like that you’re direct.”
“I know exactly what you’d like to say: that you’ve noticed all the brands, that you can see something’s going on between me and Ryan, and that you’ll come after me with a pitchfork if I hurt him.”
Taryn pursed her lips. “I wouldn’t have chosen a pitchfork.”
“The thing is . . . I would have had to then respond that what goes on between Ryan and me is our business, that you shouldn’t think I’m an easy target, and that if you come at me you should do it with everything you have because I won’t submit. So I guess it’s a good thing that this is just a hypothetical conversation.”
A smile slowly spread across Taryn’s face. “I can see why Ryan likes you. And I think you’ll be good for him. So, yes, I am going to ask you not to hurt him. But I’m also going to ask you to be patient with him, because he could easily hurt you even though he won’t mean to.” She seemed to struggle for the words to explain. “He hasn’t been involved in any serious relationships. The females he’s had fun with all said the same thing—he’s emotionally stunted, he doesn’t feel anything, which isn’t true. Ryan just doesn’t share what he feels.
“I assume you saw his scars, so you can guess what happened to him. He’s never once spoken of it. I wasn’t part of the pack at the time, but I was told that when he came back, he was a physical mess and had to be in absolute agony . . . but to look in his eyes, you would never have known it.”
Makenna could believe that. Ryan was a closed book.
“From what I heard, Ryan was always quiet and self-contained. But after that he became harder, withdrew even further. That was why everybody was so shocked yesterday when he argued with you,” continued Taryn. “That kind of emotional engagement isn’t normal for him. He likes you a lot more than any of us suspected. He might look like a guy who’s too tough to hurt, but I don’t believe that’s true. He’s vulnerable in his own way. So I’m asking you to be careful with him, and to not be upset if he doesn’t give you pretty words.”
Her wolf bristled at the warning, not liking another female interfering in such a way. But Makenna was glad that his pack mates were so protective of him. That was how it should be. He was a good guy. He deserved that protection.